


Those Nights

by Aluxra



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Noodle Dragons, Post-Recall, Post-Reflections
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 03:10:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9697106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aluxra/pseuds/Aluxra
Summary: After joining Overwatch, Hanzo and Genji's relationship is still strained. Unable to sleep one night, Genji heads down to the kitchen and discovers Hanzo brought a few guests with him when he arrived, which may be the key to breaking the icy silence between the brothers.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I personally don't headcanon the whole dragon-noodle thing, but this idea came to me and it doesn't wok without it so, you get noodle dragons. ((But, if I did headcanon noodle dragons, I'd headcanon that they act accordingly to Hanzo and Genji’s inner emotions, so take that as you will while reading this.))
> 
> I used, and I’m assuming this is where the naming started for them, names from monstrous-hourglass.tumblr.com for the three dragons, and the title comes from [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl53z_WcE5s) by Skillet.
> 
> Enjoy xXx

It had been nearly three weeks since Hanzo had appeared on their doorstep, offering his skills to the Recall. He had described it as penance for what had transpired between them ten years before, and yet still he avoided Genji most of the time. Of course, Genji couldn’t say he had gone out of his way to spend time in his brother’s company; even when they were in same room as each other, there was a strained, heavy silence between them that brought an awkward atmosphere to the whole room. Hanzo usually left first during those times, quickly and quietly excusing himself politely to avoid causing a worse scene. Genji wanted to follow him, to talk to him, but always hesitated a fraction too long: what would he say? Eventually, his indecision left him doing nothing, and the cycle would repeat.

Still, the tension was evident to everyone in the base and growing worse: if they continued the way they were, someone would likely end up hurt or dead on the next mission. Yet neither of them seemed willing to make the first move, to break the icy silence that remained between them.

Genji ruminated on the stalemate he and Hanzo had as he made his way to the kitchens in the early hours of the morning, unable to sleep despite how long he tried to meditate, as he used to at the Shimbali monastery when he struggled to calm his mind. It seemed the excess energy would not leave, so he had donned a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants over his artificial skin, forgoing his armour and visor, with the intention of an early morning run. He only intended to grab a bottle of water from the fridge and head out when he caught sight of the pale-yellow light illuminating the wall opposite the kitchen door, and the clang and clatter of appliances and dishes being knocked reached his ears.

His brows knitting together in confusion, he wandered closer, peering round the doorjamb to look inside. He blinked, raising his eyebrows in surprise before a smile spread across his face and he stepped into the kitchen.

‘Let go. Let it _go_ , you wretched creature!’ Hanzo hissed, holding a long, serpentine dragon by the scruff of the neck as he tried to get the box of tea from its long jaws, a feat made more difficult by the second dragon wriggling determinedly under his arm. The latter caught sight of Genji standing in the doorway and hissed, raising it’s heckles as it scrabbled for purchase on the front of Hanzo’s t-shirt. It drew the attention of the other dragon and Hanzo himself, three pairs of eyes staring at Genji as he smiled at them, raising one hand to wave at them.

‘Hello,’ he said, approaching.

‘Hello,’ Hanzo replied statically, prying the box from the dragon’s teeth and dropping both of them unceremoniously to the ground. The dragons landed harmlessly on their feet, their long twisting bodies undulating in long waves as they skittered around Hanzo’s feet, exploring the large, empty floor.

‘My apologies,’ Hanzo said, tapping the torn, dented box with his fingertips, as if unsure what to do with his hands. ‘I did not mean to wake anyone.’

‘You didn’t,’ Genji replied, crouching down to watch the dragons on their level as they skidded and slipped across the polished floor, their talons clicking incessantly. ‘I was on my way here, anyway.’

‘Oh.’

They both fell silent again as Hanzo turned away to make his tea and Genji focused on watching the dragons play together, bouncing and hopping as they pounced and toppled over each other. Genji hadn’t seen the corporeal manifestation of Hanzo’s dragons in years, their brightly coloured bodies shimmering like the ocean surface on a summer day under the kitchen lights. They had thick golden manes haloing their heads, the long fur running the length of their bodies to their tails: each was as long as Genji’s arm and as thick around as his leg, with big blocky head supporting short branching horns and long jaws circled with wisps of a moustache and beard.

One stopped running around, having caught sight of their reflection in the dark floor tiles, tilting their head from side to side. They growled deep in their throat, rising on their hind legs and bringing their weight down, their front feet started scrambling against the polished tiles to attack the strange dragon. Genji laughed, aware of their brother sneaking up around him, eyeing him suspiciously as they slunk closer, stretching out their neck to sniff at Genji cautiously.

He raised his arm, looking under it at the dragon and smiling. ‘Hello!’

The dragon jerked back, baring its sharp, curving teeth with a growl.

‘Aw, what’s wrong? Don’t you recognise me, Soba?’ he asked, stretching out his hand for the dragon to inspect.

‘His name is not Soba!’ Hanzo objected from the island counter, watching them as he waited on the kettle to boil.

‘It’s not like he has another name,’ Genji remarked, smiling as Soba relaxed, arching up into Genji’s hand to be petted, slinking closer to inspect him better. Claws dug into his hoodie firmly as Soba stood on his hind legs and scaled the front of his hoodie, nuzzling at his cheek with long, wispy whiskers. Genji cooed, stroking his fingers through the glossy golden fur.

‘They don’t _have_ names,’ Hanzo argued, leaning forward on his folded arms. ‘They are powerful ancient spirits from beyond this world, they could bring chaos raining down on our heads on a _whim_ and –’

Udon was stopped short chasing his reflection across the floor when he slammed head first into the island with a solid, dull thump, reeling back from the force of it.

Genji snorted with laughter, and Hanzo sighed, hanging his head. ‘Fucking idiots.’

Udon shook its head, skittering backwards and looked around in a daze. Deciding Soba should not get all the attention, he bounded over to where Genji crouched down, hurling himself against Genji and knocking him backwards, scrambling over him to paw and nip at him, demanding attention. Genji laughed, sitting upright and pulling the wriggling dragon into his arms, hugging him tightly.

Hanzo sighed again, straightening. ‘Would you like a cup of tea? I was just making myself one.’

‘No thank you, brother,’ Genji replied, crossing his legs and leaning back on his outstretched arms while Udon and Soba played in his lap. ‘I don’t really eat or drink much these days.’

There was a beat of silence.

‘I see.’

‘I still _can_ ,’ Genji added, scratching behind Udon’s ears and making them twitch. ‘I still _need_ to, but, I just can’t eat or drink as much since my stomach needed to be stapled during my surgeries. Since it wasn’t replaced, doctor’s orders are smaller meals at regular intervals so I don’t end up throwing it all back up again. Sticking to water after hours is the safest way to go.’

‘I see,’ Hanzo repeated, and they fell into silence again.

Genji half listened to Hanzo pouring his tea, just outside his line of vision while he played with Udon and Soba, rolling them onto their backs to rub their bellies before they’d twist away and skitter around him, pulling at his hoodie strings and nibbling his mechanical fingers when he wiggled them in front of them.

He recalled many nights like this when they were younger, after Hanzo had passed the rite of the dragon and the two dragons had materialised from his tattoo less than six months later. As usual, the prodigal son had achieved the impossible: not only was he the youngest to ever succeed controlling the dragons, there had not been a Shimada who could call forth a corporeal manifestation of their spirit beast in a thousand years, the last recorded instance being – arguably, given the mythical status of that particular ancestor - Nariko Shimada.

Genji had simply loved being around them: allergic to most animal fur and unable to have a pet, he had spent every moment possible befriending them, gaining their trust. Of course, the Clan disapproved of his coddling, hailing them as the great spirit beasts they saw in battle that demanded respect and reverence, instead of belly rubs and snacks snuck from inside his pockets. There had been many nights where they’d both find themselves in the kitchen like this, late at night, Genji giggling and cooing drunkenly over the little noodles, affectionately naming them as such, much to Hanzo’s chagrin. When his own dragon had manifested, he had burst into tears that night and gone straight to Hanzo’s room to show him, uncaring if anyone had seen him crying like a child. Hanzo had patiently humoured his overwhelming display of emotion, began affectionately listing different types of noodles for Genji to choose from before he decided on “Ramen” and had settled down enough to watch them play.

‘I miss nights like this,’ Genji said, watching Udon and Soba play fight, rearing up and head butting each other, teeth snagging on ears and chewing on horns, their tails whipping back and forth, thumping off Genji’s legs or each other. A lump formed in his throat as the memories continued to surface, and he swallowed around it, the corners of his eyes prickling. Udon and Soba chirped, looking up at Genji as they sensed the change in his mood, stretching their necks up to stare at him with bright golden eyes.

He sniffed, wiping his nose and clearing his throat as he petted them comfortingly.

‘It’s okay,’ he cooed, pulling them both into his lap and nuzzling the top of their heads. ‘It’s okay, I just really missed the pair of you.’

They had even been there when he had stumbled home drunk after the worst of the fights and the arguments, Hanzo waiting with a glass of water and some aspirin for him. Udon and Soba would wrap around his shoulders or curl up on his lap as he sat crying messily on the floor, his brother cradling him in his arms promising he didn’t hate him and nothing would ever happen to him as long as Hanzo had his say.

‘I really missed you,’ he repeated quietly, staring blurrily at Soba and Udon as they chirped and squeaked, turning their attention back to each other as they fought for space on Genji’s lap, before racing off across the kitchen floor after each other, nipping at tails and legs as they tumbled over each other.

‘They missed you too,’ Hanzo said, staring at his tea. ‘They have been quite temperamental ever since I found out… ever since you…’

He trailed off, clearing his throat. ‘They have been acting like this ever since they showed up again a few months ago: they are restless and prone to destroying things, so I have tried to avoid bringing them outside my room.’

‘They never manifested before then?’ Genji asked, wiping his eyes with the heels of his palm and looking up at Hanzo. He refused to meet his gaze.

‘No.’

The silence stretched between them again, broken only by the click of talons against the floor and the shuffle of the dragons’ tails dragging behind them, conversing in chirps and clicks between themselves.

‘Ramen took a while to show up again,’ Genji said. ‘Master Zenyatta spoiled him when they first met.’

‘Ramen is - Your spirit dragon is still… well?’

‘Yes, he’s alright. He didn’t want to come out for ages, but Zenyatta’s teachings didn’t just help me,’ Genji explained. He leaned forward, folding his arms and resting them on his knees. ‘Would you like to see him again?’

Hanzo said nothing, pursing his lips, unsure what answer would turn out worse for him. His decision was taken from him when Genji felt the familiar itch up his spine, followed by the sharp, uncomfortable tug as if picking off a scab. His skin glowed underneath the exoskeletal support for his spine, the light curving and bending into green smoke-like wisps curling down his arm, then solidified on the floor in front of him.

Udon and Soba stopped, peering around the legs of the island stools to stare at Ramen, who blinked, looking around the kitchen questioningly. They caught sight of Udon and Soba first, and cocked their head, chirping at them. Udon and Soba chirped back, their ears pricked high on their heads, and came barrelling forward with loud, unabashed, delighted squeaking.

Ramen squeaked, twisting round and leaping onto Genji’s lap, snagging his claws into his hoodie as he clamoured up onto Genji’s shoulders, weaving around them and glaring balefully at Udon and Soba as they scrambled around them.

‘Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay,’ Genji soothed, stroking his long, scarred body comfortingly. ‘You’re fine, nothing is going to happen to you.’

Genji continued to soothe Ramen, feeling him vibrate through his hoodie as Soba and Udon circled Genji, stretching up on their hind legs to reach Ramen, pawing and chirping incessantly. He gracefully rose to his feet when Udon reached up to try sniffing at Ramen, only to be batted in the face.

‘Come on, you silly noodle, we’ve talked about this,’ he said, continuing to pet him. He chuckled when Ramen snorted, and glanced over at Hanzo. He stopped short, the smile falling from his face. Hanzo stood staring, his eyes wide and his jaw slack, a look of horror on his face as he stared at Ramen. ‘Hanzo? Hanzo, what’s wrong?’

He stepped forward, the dragons continuing to wind around his ankles, whining as they stretched up Genji’s leg, trying to get to Ramen. Hanzo jerked back, knocking his tea: it spilled across the countertop, racing to the edge and dripping over the side, splashing onto the floor. He clasped his hands over his face, dragging his fingers up through his hair, shaking his head disbelievingly.

‘Hanzo? What’s wrong? It’s fine! Ramen’s fine! See,’ Genji said, picking Ramen up and setting him on the counter between them. Ramen looked between them, his eyes settling on Hanzo, his one good eye boring into him. He was the same size as Udon and Soba, his scales a vibrant, opalescent green that were tiger-striped with scars. Blind in one eye, the horn on the same side had been snapped in half, the stumped end slow-growing, causing him look lopsided. He had a chunk missing from his ear and his golden fur was thin in places but no less shiny and soft. His lip had been split so he had permanent snarl, but the tip his tongue poked out front, softening it. He padded towards Hanzo carefully, their eyes never leaving each other.

Genji watched in silence, frozen where he stood. At his ankles, the dragons continued to whine and cry for attention, clawing at his sweatpants. Hanzo huffed a heavy breath like he had forgotten how to breathe properly, and reached out to Ramen with shaking fingers.

Ramen’s ears flattened against his head, and he ducked out of reach from Hanzo. That seemed to be the tipping point for Hanzo, and his face crumbled, his breath hitching in his chest as he buried his face in his hands, shaking his head.

‘I can’t do this,’ he said, his voice thick and strained, choking on the words. ‘This was a mistake. I can’t… I can’t-’

‘Can’t what? Hanzo?’ Genji asked. Concern swelled in his chest, and he darted round the island, reaching for Hanzo. ‘Hanzo, what can’t you do?’

‘I should never have come here,’ Hanzo said, almost as if to himself, as if Genji were not standing in front of him. He jerked away from Genji’s touch, curling in on himself, his hands pressed against his head. ‘What have I done? I should never have… I should not… I shouldn’t…’

‘Hanzo! Hanzo just breathe. It’s alright-’

‘It is _not_ alright!’ Hanzo snarled, tearing his hands away from his face and staring at Genji wildly. Genji took a small step back in shock, blinking owlishly at Hanzo in the face of his outburst. ‘How can you say that? How can you _keep_ _saying_ that?’

‘Hanzo, I –’

‘ _Look_ at him!’ Hanzo spluttered, sweeping his arm round to gesture at Ramen, who entertained himself lapping at the split tea on the counter. ‘Have you _looked_ at him? Have you looked at _yourself_? Have you seen what I _did_ to you?’

‘I’ve passed a mirror on one or two occasions, yes.’

Hanzo didn’t seem to hear him.

‘You stand there, you stand there saying “it’s alright” and “I forgive you” and, and you, you… you have no arms! Your legs are gone!’ Hanzo cried, thin tracks of tears spilling down his cheeks as he gestured to Genji. ‘Your spine and skull require external support that you _cannot_ remove, half your organs are test-tube grown or artificially replaced, you… your stomach had to be _stapled_ just to keep whatever was left of it so you didn’t need to get it replaced along with half your body!’

‘Well, everyone always said that I could die and still make it home in time just for dinner.’

Hanzo stared at him in incredulous silence, his face red and blotchy, his hair dishevelled: he looked close to a madman. Genji thinned his lips.

‘I take it jokes are something we have to work on?’

‘Genji, I –’ Hanzo cut himself off, pressing his knuckles to his lips. He swallowed audibly, squeezing his eyes shut. ‘I _killed_ you. Good god, I fucking murdered you. I murdered my little brother and I-’

That appeared to be the end of his ability to speak, the words dying in his throat as he struggled to breathe, replaced with short, sharp gasps from his heaving chest, his whole body trembling as he buried his face in his hands. His shoulders sagged, and a horrible, high pitched keen pierced the air as he crumbled in on himself.

‘Hanzo!’ Genji said, quickly stepping forward and grabbing him by the shoulders as they slid down to the floor. ‘Hanzo, I am still alive. I am here, I am alive.’

Hanzo shook his head, buried in the crook of Genji’s shoulder, sobs wracking his body. Genji held him tightly, stroking his fingers through his hair.

‘Hanzo, please,’ he begged. ‘I forgive you.’

‘You shouldn’t.’

‘You need to forgive yourself.’

‘I _can’t_! Look at what I did!’ he cried against Genji’s shoulder. ‘Even your dragon! Even your dragon bears the scars from it! How. Can you. _Forgive_. That?’

‘Because you’re my brother and I love you,’ Genji answered after a moment. ‘I could never hate you, and I can’t stand by and watch you hate yourself. You don’t get to decide whether you deserve forgiveness or not, I do. I _forgive_ you.’

Hanzo said nothing in reply, and the silence stretched on between them, broken only by Hanzo sobbing into Genji’s shoulder. Eventually, it tapered off, and they sat in the silence, awkwardly half-sitting, half kneeling on the floor until Hanzo shifted, twisting round to sit with his back against the cupboards behind him. Drawing his knees up, he rested his elbows on them, pushing his hair off his face as he wiped his eyes. Genji moved to sit beside him, stretching his legs out in front of him, pressing his shoulder firmly against Hanzo’s. Hanzo sniffed, clearing his throat; he looked everywhere except Genji, keeping his chin against his chest.

‘Hanzo-’

Ramen chirped above their heads, interrupting Genji, and they both looked up to see him sliding halfway down the cupboard, his nose twitching as he sniffed Hanzo. Hanzo huffed a dry sigh, tilting his head back, silently watching Ramen. Cautiously reaching up one hand, he let it hover in front of Ramen’s face. Ramen pulled back, hesitant, before he began to sniff and nuzzle at Hanzo’s outstretched hand. He slid further down the side of the cupboards, losing balance on the counter and squeaked in distress, trying to clamour back up: Hanzo wrapped his hands around him and pulled him off the counter into his arms, setting him down on the floor.

Gaining his balance, Ramen shook himself and looked around. Taking a moment to think about it, he hopped onto Hanzo’s knees again, happily sliding into his lap and clawing up the front of his t-shirt till they were eyelevel, chirping in the back of his throat. Hanzo gently stroked his head, carefully avoiding his damaged horn, and Ramen closed his eyes happily, his tongue lolling to the side when Hanzo scratched under his chin.

Genji smiled warmly, watching them. ‘He missed you.’

‘Hmm,’ Hanzo replied, continuing to gently stroke Ramen as the dragon inspected him, scratching his cheek against the fuzz on the side of Hanzo’s head. He rubbed his face briskly with his free hand, thumbing the corners of his eyes to rid them of tears, sniffing quietly. From around the corner, Soba and Udon hesitantly poked their heads into view, watching them. Genji caught sight of them and smiled, clapping his hands and beckoning them over to him. Scrambling over each other, they barrelled forwards with speed, slipping and skidding across the floor before slamming into his stomach. His breath left him in a winded rush, and he curled his arms around himself with a groan.

‘ _Why?_ ’ he gasped, while Hanzo laughed.

‘They missed you.’

‘I know,’ Genji said, wincing as he straightened carefully. He smiled at the two dragons in his lap, and leaned his weight against Hanzo, resting his head on his shoulder. After a moment, Hanzo pressed back against him, resting his head on Genji’s. They sat together in a comfortable silence, watching the three dragons crawl over and under their legs, chasing and play fighting with each other, just like they used to on all those nights when the brothers were younger.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment, kudos, or come chat with me at aluxra.tumblr.com. Some of my fanfics only appear on my tumblr, so if you wanna see more of my work that you haven't seen here, head on over and check out my [fanfic tab](http://aluxra.tumblr.com/tagged/fanfics-by-aluxra) C:


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